Shunned Hero
by shadowgamer94
Summary: When Link is shunned by the world because of his involvment with Midna, he continues to fight to save Hyrule, only now no one wants him to. Midna comes to have feelings for him because of his sacrifice, and Midna is the only one Link can look to be there.
1. Cast away by the world

**Shunned Hero**

A Link X Midna fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Legend of Zelda, all rights go to Nintendo.

* * *

Chapter 1: Cast Away by the World

It had been some time after the incident with the light spirit and Zant in Lake Hylia, and Link had already acquired the Master Sword. He had gotten a letter from Telma saying he should stop by her tavern. He was on his way to the castle town with Midna floating near his head, and of course, to Midna's annoyance, he had decided to walk.

"For the hundredth time, why are we walking?!" Midna screamed into his ear.

"Oh come on, Midna, don't you find a nice walk in the warm sun relaxing?" he flashed his always beaming smile at her.

"No . . . I . . . don't."

"Well just be patient, we're almost there. See look, we can see it now." he pointed at the large castle looming into view with an equally large town around it.

It only took an hour more to reach the drawbridge of the town and to cross it. Midna hid in Link's shadow once they entered the town. Before they went to Telma's bar, Link stopped at a café in the center of the town for something to eat. Then he stopped at Agatha's to give her one of her golden bugs. Afterwards, he walked around for at least an hour around the market stands before Midna spoke up.

"Hey . . . why are we stalling? Aren't we going to Telma's?"

"Y-yeah in a little bit." he said shakily.

"Wait a minute, are you . . . scared of something?" Midna said in disbelief.

He shrugged. "Hey what can I say, the woman scares me."

"Some hero." she scoffed.

Just then, a kid ran up to Link with a panicky expression and waving his arms frantically at him.

"Link! Link! Come quick! There's a bad guy in the town!" the kid said in a blur of words. From the beginning of Link's quest, people all throughout Hyrule saw Link as the "something's wrong, get him to help" guy. From stopping robbers to helping old ladies carry their groceries Link helped without a second thought, to Midna's protests.

"Whoa kid slow down. Tell me what's going on."

"There's a guy in the center of town with a kid on top of one of the balconies. He's got a knife and he's kidnaped a little girl!"

"Let me guess," Midna started from Link's shadow, "We're going to be good samaritans and go save the kid, right?" the sarcasm in her voice was clearly obvious.

Link chose to ignore her and started running to the plaza at the center of town. When he got there, there was a big crowd outside one of the buildings. Link pushed his way through the crowd and looked up to see a man in his late 30's with black, unkept hair, grizzled face, and a smile and a look in his eyes that let everyone know he was a lunatic. He had a knife at a girl's throat, and she looked no older than 10 years old.

Link took little time to get up to the fifth story balcony, and he was soon standing only about 5 yards away from the madman. The man turned to Link and laughed a hysterical laugh.

"Ooh, if it isn't Hyrule's savior. Come to stop the bad guy have you, eeh hee." the man mocked.

"Release the girl . . . _now_." Link demanded in a cold voice.

"Oho, but I don't want to, you see I've got plans, yes plans, for this little girl. I'm going to rape this girl slowly, then I might cut her up a bit, and finally I'll dump her body over this railing, and what's better I'll do it in front of everyone here! Eeh hee hee!"

Link had never felt the urge to kill something so much in his entire life. He drew his sword slowly, emphasizing the sound of steel dragging against leather. His intent was conveyed to the man through his eyes.

"Ooh, you plan to kill me do you? Hehe, that could be a problem. I wonder what you'd do if I decided to dump her off right . . . now!"as he said it he pushed the girl so she would go over the railing. Link acted in a split second, he tackled the man off the edge and went with him. He quickly reached the girl in the air and pulled her close to his body. He knew he didn't have time to use his clawshot with the speed of his and the girl's fall, so he had no choice but to let himself take the force of the fall. He hit the ground hard, breaking a lot of bones and losing consciousness immediately.

"LINK!" he heard Midna's voice call out to him. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see Midna frantically shaking his body. When she noticed his eyes were open, she pressed her hand to his cheek, but the next second she lightly punched him.

"You idiot! Why did you have to jump off a five-story balcony?! You could've died!" she yelled at him.

"Is . . . the girl safe?"

Midna let out a sigh. "Yes Mr. Hero, she seems fine, just unconscious from shock."

Link looked over and saw the girl lying not far from his own body. She had a few bruises, but he could tell she was breathing regularly. He also saw the psychotic man, who was definitely dead. During the fall he flipped and landed on his head, killing him instantly and leaving a nasty mess.

Link struggled to stand up, but with help from Midna he was able to. As far as he could tell, most of his ribs were broken, along with having a dislocated shoulder and possibly a broken leg.

"What . . . _is_ _that_?" Link heard someone say. He looked up to see everyone staring at him, or more specifically, at Midna. In all the chaos, Midna had come out of his shadow when he fell and was now in the open for everyone to see.

"Hey! It looks kind of like one of those monsters' that have been terrorizing Hyrule!" yelled on of them.

"Yeah it does!" yelled another.

"No!" Link yelled while trying to move his arm up to cover Midna. "She's . . . she's different. She isn't like that!"

"Wait a minute, why does Link act like he knows it?" one of them asked.

"Stop saying _it_! Her name's Midna!" Link exclaimed to the crowd, but his voice was lost over the crowd's increasing volume.

"He's defending it!"

"He's in league with it!"

"He's tricked us all!"

"Let's get 'em both!"

The crowd had turned into a mob, and now started forward, but before they could reach them, Midna teleported Link and herself out of there and to the spring in Ordon woods. Once there, Link drank a blue potion to heal and rest.

"That . . . went well." Midna commented.

"Yeah . . . "

"So what now?" she asked.

"Well, it's getting close to dark, so we should rest for the evening. My place isn't far from here so we can go there." he suggested. Midna nodded her agreement.

He stood up to get moving to his house when Midna's voice behind him made him stop. "Link." he turned to face her, "hmm?" he noticed here cheeks were a slight shade of pink. She took a breath before continuing. "Just . . . thank you . . . for defending me like that."

He gave her a smile. "Anytime, Midna."

*The next day*

Rumors had spread like wildfire throughout the castle town and quickly branched off into all of Hyrule. Soon, all of Hyrule thought Link was helping the enemy and had betrayed everyone. Then again, news spread fast with a mailman whose legs have the power of two horses and never tires.

When Link stepped out of his house the next morning, he was greeted by the sight of many of the citizens at the bottom of the ladder leading to his home. Some looked angry, some were in disbelief, and some were in confusion. Although, he noted, Rusl was not in the crowd.

He climbed down the ladder to face them. The first to break the silence was Jaggle (Talo and Malo's father).

"Is it true, Link? Are you helping the monsters?" he asked.

"No, it isn't like that. I'm trying to save Hyrule." Link said in his defense.

"We want to believe you, but . . . " Uli said. "We heard you were seen with one of the monsters, and that you were defending it." Pergie (Talo and Malo's mother) finished.

"Midna's not a monster!" Link blurted out.

"So you admit being seen with one, and helping the monsters!" Jaggle yelled.

"I've been getting letters from our children in Kakariko Village, and they described the monsters. How can you associate with them?" Beth's father asked in his meek voice.

"She's helping me to save Hyrule!" Link argued.

"Like we're going to believe that! They tried to hurt our babies! I don't feel safe with anyone who collaborates with those beasts!" Sera (Beth's mother) yelled in a fit of rage.

"Calm down, calm down people." Mayor Bo interjected before it got heated. "Now, Link," he let out an exasperated sigh before continuing, "I hate to do this so I'll take a vote. Say 'Aye' if Link should be expelled from the village, at least until this matter is resolved."

"Aye!" Everyone said with the exception of Uli, Mayor Bo, and Fado.

"Fine then. Link, I demand you leave this village until trust and safety can be assured, I'm sorry."

Link couldn't believe what was happening. He was now expelled from the village he grew up in, by many of the people he saw as friends and role models as a child. He could sense Midna was about to come out of his shadow to say something so he slightly shook his head, hoping she got the message. Without another word he whistled for Epona and set out to leave the village. He couldn't help a look back at his hometown in sadness.

When they were safely away from the village, Midna appeared next to him with her fists and jaw clenched.

"Those arrogant jerks! How could they just throw you out like that?! I should go back there and give them a piece of my mind." she snarled.

"Don't worry about it, Midna. They didn't mean any of it, really they're nice people. They're just worried about everything that's been going on lately. Besides, the village could be in danger with me around, seeing as Zant wants me dead." he gave her an attempt of a smile, but she could see through to the sadness hidden behind it.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, why did you not want me to appear? I could've helped to explain."

He shook his head. "No, that would've only added to their fear and confusion. It doesn't matter though, everything will be back to normal once we defeat Zant." Midna couldn't help but think he was saying to assure himself more than her.

They continued through Hyrule field in a comfortable silence for a little while until Midna needed to know something.

"Link, you . . . you defended me again."

He looked at her in confusion at the sudden comment. "Yeah, I did."

"Why . . . why _do_ you keep defending me? I'm just . . . just an ugly imp who has gotten you into trouble over and over again."

He gave a short laugh and then his face and tone grew serious, and he looked her in the eyes. "You sell yourself too short, Midna. Why wouldn't I defend you? You've become a great and precious friend to me and I'm glad to have met you. Underneath your tough exterior you're kind and caring, and in times when I feel like giving up, your sarcastic and headstrong attitude keeps me going whether you know it or not. As for trouble, you've gotten me _out_ of trouble more than you've gotten me into it. And as for the 'ugly imp' comment, I think you're kind of . . . cute . . . in your own unique way." his serious face faded into one of his usual grins by the end. She averted her gaze from his and turned her head so he wouldn't see her blush.

"Now, let's go save Hyrule shall we." he turned his sights forward and continued heading for Kakariko Village for supplies and to see his friends.

He rode into the village on a slow trot, and could sense a fear and hostility in the air. Some of the people closed their shutters at the sight of him at the village's entrance.

Suddenly the doors to Renado's house burst open. Standing there was Talo who looked angered. Behind him was Malo, who was passive as always, Beth, Renado, and Colin, who looked worried about the argument to come. Talo was the first to say something.

"How . . . could you . . . show yourself here?!" his voiced was layered in contempt.

"Talo . . . " Link wasn't sure how to explain so he would understand.

"No! Those monsters . . . how can you side with them?!" he stormed back into the house. Beth, who was trying to hold back tears, ran after him. Malo kept his gaze on the ground and walked back inside.

Renado looked in the direction they left. "Do not worry about them, Link. They may not fully understand, as I may not either. However, you have my word I'll look after them. Though, perhaps, it is best for the time being you keep your distance from them, Talo especially." with that, Renado went back into the house as well.

Link saw Ilia, through the window, staring at the events outside. She averted her eyes when she saw him looking.

"Link," his attention was brought back to Colin. "I want you to know I don't think you're bad." Colin closed the house door behind him.

Link turned Epona back the way they came and kept his head down while trying to stifle tears of his own. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder he knew to be Midna's, but didn't turn his head. He didn't want her to see him crying. He left Kakariko Village at a slow pace, and a heavy heart.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

First chapter of my new story up! Whew! I really love the idea of this story, because I've always really liked the idea of an infamous hero, one who is isn't liked by the people but continues to fight for them regardless. I think Link would do that even if nobody wanted him to. I don't think he would just stop because the people didn't appreciate it. Plus, Link X Midna is just awesome so it works. Well anyway, the second chapter will probably be up soon so yeah. Read X Review.


	2. Through the Sand

**Shunned Hero**

Link X Midna fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 2: Through the Sand  
_

After Link's incidents in Ordon and Kakariko, he wasn't sure what he should be doing. Midna had said something about a "Mirror of Twilight," but they had no idea how to get to it. He was turned away from any town or village he came to, even Castle Town. At that moment, Link and Midna were resting a large tree on a hill overlooking Castle Town.

"You know? I just thought of something." Midna said to get Link's attention. Link, who had been laying on the soft grass, tilted his head to look at her. "Hm?"

"We never _did_ find out what Telma wanted." She pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right . . . " he took a minute to think. "But it doesn't matter now. They won't let us in." He gestured toward the castle town below them. For about the hundredth time, Midna felt a guilt in her heart. She felt responsible for the recent treatment against Link throughout Hyrule. She felt she had caused the pain Link was feeling even then, though he hid it behind false, carefree smiles.

"Link, listen, I . . . " she started but was cut off suddenly by a loud, "HE-EY!"

A lean, somewhat skinny man with a red hat came running up the hill to where Link and Midna were resting. Midna didn't even bother hiding since her existence had become known to everyone anyway, and the mailman had a known tendency to be oblivious as to anything but the person whose name was on the letter.

"Letter for Mr. Link." He said while pulling out an envelope from his back, and holding it out to Link. Link took the curious letter and was examining it when the mailman suddenly took off, looking for his next delivery.

When Link opened the envelope, he saw it was from Telma. "Well, speak of the devil." he said. He read it to Midna.

"Hey, sweetie, how ya' been? News has traveled to my bar about you, but don't worry . . . I know you're not bad like everyone says, but I can't convince them otherwise. There's a secret group that's been formed to help save Hyrule since the cowardly knights won't, and they meet at my bar. So that means we'll be helping you along! Actually, there's a man you should probably meet. His name's Auru, and he's in the Lake Hylia area. He's investigating the Gerudo Desert, and he might be able to help you. See you soon hon'!"

"Forward as always." Midna remarked.

"Well, Midna? Shall we get going? She nodded and teleported them to Lake Hylia.

They appeared near the odd house in the center of the lake. Link, in wolf form, started to sniff for an unfamiliar scent that would lead him to this Auru who Telma said would help. After not too long he picked up something that smelled like Telma's tavern and tracked the scent to a large stone spire on a cliff overlooking the entire lake. There was a ladder leading to the top.

He reverted back into a Hylian and climbed the ladder. At the top, he found a man, middle-aged with white hair, staring out at the desert on the horizon. He turned when Link got up and faced him.

"Ah, so you must be the infamous Link. I am Auru." he said in greeting. Link didn't really like the "infamous" comment, but he knew Auru meant no offense so he let it go.

"Yes, I'm Link. Telma said you could help me on my quest?"

"Hm, possibly. You see . . . there is a prison in the Gerudo Desert. The worst criminals would be sent there. Legend has it there is a mirror in the prison with the power to banish the prisoners to another dimension. The prison is no longer used, but I sense a disturbance in the desert and I have a feeling it is coming from the prison, now overrun by evil. Something strange has been going on in those sands. Alas, I cannot go there myself, but it could prove beneficial for you and Hyrule if you would go and investigate for me. Will you undertake this task?"

"Yes . . . I will." Link answered.

"I thought you'd say that. Here, take this and give it to the man who runs the cannon house down there. His name is Fado, and I saved his life once so now he can't refuse a favor from me. He'll help you get there." He handed Link a piece of paper.

"Thank you." Link said.

"No need. If you are really trying to save this land as you and Telma say, then I should be thanking you." Link felt a sense of gratitude to Auru for having an air of indifference to the slander surrounding Link because while it wasn't disbelief, it wasn't belief either. Link took the paper and climbed down the tower.

He made his way to the strange house with the paper. When he got there, he handed Fado the paper without a word.

"Auru wants to cash in his favor, eh? Well all right, hop in, but consider the debt paid." He gestured toward the house. Link walked in and braced himself to soon lose his lunch.

"I hate this part." he murmured to himself. After the usual jig, Link was skyrocketed to Gerudo Desert.

Link ended with his upper body in sand, desperately trying to get free. Midna used her power to pull him out of the sand.

"Pfht, pfht. Well, at least I learned sand doesn't taste good." he said while spitting out sand.

"Wait, Link. Before we go on, there's something I want you to hear. Do you remember what the spirit said about the Fused Shadows? That the magic wielders who tried to rule the Sacred Realm had their powers sealed? What do you think happened to them?" she took a moment to let Link think about her questions. "They were banished. They were chased across the sacred lands of Hyrule and driven into another realm by the goddesses. It was another world entirely . . . the antithesis of Hyrule, where the sun shines bright. Its denizens became shadows that could not mingle with the light. Eventually, most came to call it the Twilight Realm, and from it, none could return to the world of light . . . They were forever doomed to live in the twilight, flitting in the half-light of dusk, mere shadows of Hyrule . . . This is the history of the Twili as it has been passed down from our ancestors . . . Do you now understand what I am? I'm a descendant of the tribe that was banished to the Twilight Realm!" her face contorted with rage with her last sentence.

"Your people came from those evil beings?" Link asked in disbelief.

"Yes, but . . . it was a peaceful place . . . until Zant took control of the Twilight Realm and transformed all of the Twili into shadow beasts. I was sent from there, and could no longer get into the Twilight Realm without his power. But there's another tale told my people. Though the goddesses forbade us to return to the world of light, they left one link between the light and the darkness. Something called the Mirror of Twilight was passed to the protectors of Hyrule . . . it's our only path to the Twilight Realm . . . and we must get there!" she placed her hand on Link's cheek and looked into his eyes. "You'll come with me . . . won't you?" her tone sounded almost . . . pleading.

He placed his hand over hers, and saw her eyes widen in surprise. He smiled at her. "Of course I'll come with you, Midna." he said gently. She smiled back and he began his walk through the scorching desert.

Unfortunately, "scorching desert" didn't last all day. Nightfall came quickly, and with it, a bitter cold. Link was laying on a ridge, staking out a group of moblins. Why? Because of the big fire in the center of their encampment.

"By my count there are eight of them plus some boars. Four on the towers; one for each tower, three near the fire, and one away from the camp, er, using the facilities."

"Well, whatever you plan on doing, do it fast. I'm gonna freeze over here. Achoo!" Midna rubbed her now red nose.

"I know, I know. But this is going to take finesse."

Link picked out four arrows and tied bombs to the tips. He lit the bomb fuses and picked one up and slowly raised it, pulled back his shoulders, aimed, and let it fly. It hit the base of one the four towers around the camp and it exploded in a mess of wood and sand, and the tower started to fall. In rapid succession, Link shot the other arrows at the remaining towers. The explosions and the collapsing towers caused a lot of smoke and dust to cover the whole area, adding to the mayhem and confusion, along with the hysterical boars.

"Now, Midna!" he yelled while running down the sand dune toward the camp. Midna transformed him into his wolf form and he dashed into the camp with lightning speed, using the smoke as cover. He encountered the first moblin looking around in panic. He pounced on the creature and used his jaws to snap its neck.

When the smoke finally cleared and th other two moblins could see their surroundings, the first thing they noticed was the ferocious wolf illuminated by the fire with a small creature on its back, and their dead ally in the wolf's jaws. Link took advantage of their hesitation and charged them. He slashed at one of them, leaving four gashes in its chest. Before the other could respond, he used his spin attack, and then while it was down he leapt on and slashed its open neck.

The final moblin, now coming back from his bowl duties, stopped in his tracks when he saw the state of the camp and the vicious wolf over his dead kin.

"Boo . . . " Midna said and the moblin turned tail and ran as fast as he could. Link reverted back to his Hylian form.

"See, Midna? With careful planning everything becomes easy." he said, obviously pleased with himself.

"Oh, so running headfirst into a dungeon or lighting a couple of bugs on fire in a bomb storehouse is what you call careful planning?" she teased.

"Er, moving on. We've got a fire so let's rest for the night and go into the prison in the morning. OK?"

"Yeah, whatever." She laughed at his attempt to change the subject.

After a light meal, Link lay on the sand near the fire and stared up at the stars. He tried to sleep, but he knew his instincts wouldn't allow him a restful slumber in the hostile desert. After a little while he thought he heard sounds coming from where Midna was laying on the other end of the fire. He sat up and could tell from where he was she was shivering, and she had tried to wrap her arms around herself to keep warm, which obviously wasn't working.

He took the only blanket he had out of his traveling pack and crawled over to where she lay, positioning himself next to her with her back facing his front, and he placed the blanket as best he could over the two of them. Midna turned to face him, and her face showed she was clearly surprised.

"L-Link? What are you doing?"

He chuckled at her surprise. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to help you stay warm."

"But . . . your blanket barely covers only you let alone another person, even a small one like me." she protested

"Hmm, you've got a point there . . . I know!" He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and pulled her _very_ close to his chest. Midna found herself hoping it was too dark for him to see her blush.

"Link?"

"Relax, Midna. If we take up less space like this, then the blanket will cover us both. See?" She did see his point and admitted to herself she did feel a lot warmer. She grasped the front of his tunic in her hands and snugged herself in closer. She couldn't remember when she felt more safe.

"Goodnight, Link . . . and thank you. Thank you for everything." she whispered.

"You're welcome, Midna, and goodnight . . . And thank you as well." And they fell into a slumber more peaceful than either had experienced in a long time. Unbeknownst to them, a form in the sand watched silently.

The following day had been challenging for them. They had just conquered the Arbiter's Grounds and had learned that the Mirror of Twilight was shattered from the Sages, and learned where the fragments were. Midna had teleported them out of the Mirror room, and Link was walking around the desert; searching.

Midna was struggled to contain her irritation. "Link, why are we still in this blasted desert?" she half yelled half asked.

Link looked up from his searching to answer her. "I thought I saw one of those golden bugs that Agitha wants when we first got here so I figured I'd check it out before we left." he replied calmly and went back to searching.

"Ugh . . . you're too nice for your own good, you know that?"

"Hey I can't help it. Agitha asked me to find these bugs so now I have to, and she gives me _a lot_ of money for it, though I never understand why she wants these little guys."

"Whatever, you just can't say no to a cute girl."

"Ha, that could be true. I didn't say no to you when you asked me to help you did I?"

Midna stopped mid-float in disbelief. 'Did he just . . . flirt . . . with _me_?" she thought. Link, oblivious to the effect he just had on Midna, kept searching with a grin. He then saw a small, golden light sparkle in the sun.

"Aha!" he pointed to the bug. "I found it! Get over here you bug." He began chasing the bug in circles while it easily avoided his hands. Midna, forgetting her surprise from a moment ago, let out a sigh. "You are such a child." she said before she joined him in his attempt to catch the bug.

After some time of jumping and falling in sand, Midna finally caught the bug, and couldn't help feeling proud, even though she had called the whole thing childish. She was bouncing on the ground with the bug in her palms; giggling.

"I caught the bug! I caught the bug! Take that Link!" she taunted.

"Aw man, I wanted to catch the bug." He hung his head in mock shame.

"Don't worry, my servant, I'll let you touch it."

"You're too kind, master." They both cracked up and started laughing at their roles. They both knew that while Midna might've seen Link as just someone to do her bidding at first, she definitely hadn't in a long time.

"All right, Link. Do you want to get out of here now—" suddenly, the sand under Midna's feet started swirling and a whirlpool of sand was created. She was taken by the whirlpool before she could get away. Link jumped into the sand on instinct when he saw Midna in danger, but soon found he could not fight the whirlpool.

Link and Midna were thrown together and he immediately grabbed her hand in his. He felt her being pulled away from him though, and her hand slipping from his. He could see the fear in her eyes. All at once, her grasp was ripped away and he lost sight of her as they started to go under.

"Midna!" he yelled in desperation. "Link!" and they were both taken by the whirlpool. The whirlpool dissipated as quickly as it had come.

When Link awoke, he couldn't tell where he was due to the darkness. He stood up and took out his lantern. The light sent back the darkness, and he saw he was in some underground hallway; probably a forgotten part of the Arbiter's grounds, he thought. The walls and ceiling were made of stone and cracked in many places, giving Link the impression the place could be unstable. He saw no sign of Midna. The passage behind him was blocked by debris. 'Only one way to go then.' he thought. 'Forward!'

Midna awoke in a daze, and she tried to put a hand on her head to steady her vision, but found she couldn't move her arm. In fact, she quickly realized she couldn't move at all. She couldn't see anything, and she felt like she was encompassed in something.

"Awake now, are we?" a deep voice suddenly said. To her, it sounded like the voice was all around her. She let out a gasp of surprise when, out of the darkness, a pair of glowing eyes appeared.

"Who . . . who are you?" she asked.

"Ahh, you may call me the Forgotten One, for I have forgotten my name as everyone else has forgotten my existence. Perhaps I never had a name. Who can say? You see, I've been under this desert for much longer than I care to remember. All I did was fall asleep for a few millennia, and when I awoke, this desert had been created on top of me. Overtime, I have become a part of this desert and am one with its sands. I see and hear all in these lands, and have become its . . . master."

"What do you want?" Midna demanded, quickly overcoming her surprise.

"I told you . . . I know all in these lands, and I know who _you_ are, Twilight Princess. I know you are going to look for the mirror fragments to go to the Twilight Realm and fight Zant. I cannot allow you to do that."

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

"Because that would be foolish and suicidal. So I'm going to keep you here as my pet, or bride if you prefer, princess."

"As if! I'd rather be married to Zant, and _that's_ saying something." She stuck out her tongue in disgust to finish her point.

"To Zant, or that Hylian." Midna's widened in surprise and her attention snapped back to the creature. "Oh yes, do not look so shocked. I said I know and see all in these lands. I saw you two that night. It was touching. I have seen how you look at him when he thinks you are not, and I have heard the hidden affection in your voice when you speak only to him. That kind of relationship can never happen, you know. Just look what your mere presence around him has done. He will forever be an outcast in his homeland, because of you."

Midna bit her lip in anger. "You son of a.." She was livid.

"No matter . . . I said you could become by bride only if you preferred. I can still keep you here as my pet."

"Or you could let me go and you _might_ live."

"Come now . . . we both know you are helpless right now. You cannot even move."

"No . . . I can't, but Link _will_ find me and kill you. Trust me . . . you don't want to make him an enemy. Which you already have by kidnaping me."

"Ahh, yes, the Hylian. I wouldn't count on that. He should be encountering some . . . trouble . . . soon." Midna felt a cold chill in her heart.

"If you touch him I swear I'll . . . "

"More empty threats? Just relax . . . you're going to be here for a _long_ time."

At that moment, Link _was_ in deep trouble. That trouble was . . . trying to find his way in the dark. His lantern had run out of oil some time before. So far, he had hit three dead-ends, ran into five walls, and taken so many turns he was utterly lost, not that he knew where he was going anyway. He had noted that the once smooth walls had become rough and grainy, and the floors felt the same.

After one turn, he saw a light ahead and he ran to the opening; thinking anywhere with light was better than where he was then, but he was sorely mistaken. He had entered into an extremely large cavern with a dome ceiling and a conical sand pit in the center that formed a large whirlpool. A ledge went all the way around the pit, and there were evenly placed torches going all around, which were the source of the light in the room. The cavern itself was nothing to fear, it was what was inside the cavern that was to be _very_ afraid of.

He had come across a _huge_ colony of the creatures of the sands; leevers. They were covering the walls, the ceiling, and much of the floor. Eggs and larvae also were in mass abundance, mostly on the sides of the pit and the rim. He was about to turn around quickly when a strange figure suddenly emerged from the ceiling. It was upside down and looked to be just a mass of moving sand. All that was clearly recognizable as something not of sand was a pair of glowing eyes.

"Children of the desert!" its voice boomed and echoed all throughout the cavern. All the creatures stopped moving immediately. "There is prey for all of you, and he has wandered here on his own. Kill him for me and leave nothing left." It pointed at Link and all the creatures seemed to turn with its arm. "Oh and Link . . . before you die, I'll let you know something. I have Midna and I am not letting you take her back to the above world." It merged back into the ceiling and was gone. All was silent for a second, and then all of the leevers simultaneously let out a terrible screech and all charged Link.

He unsheathed his sword and braced himself for a difficult fight. He met the first wave head-on; slashing and hacking at anything in range. At first, he was doing well, until he was surrounded on all sides along with above him as well. Some would jump at him, others would attack his feet, and others would drop from the ceiling and attack from above.

One of them bit down onto his right forearm and another to his left leg. He used his spin attack to get them off and clear a small space around him. 'Damn them! They never end! If I die here, what will happen to Hyrule, to the kids, to Ilia, and what will happen to . . . Midna?' This thought brought to mind what the strange creature had said.

"... _I have Midna and I am not letting you take her back to the above world._" its voice resounded in his mind. The thought of what would become of Midna or what the creature was doing or would do to her made Link find a new strength.

His sword became so fast it could only be seen as flashes of silver through the air, and any creature that dared to attack was cut down almost immediately. Nothing would get past his defense, not while his memories of time spent with Midna, especially the night in the desert, fueled him. Soon, the leevers were too afraid to go near him.

He had backed up to the edge of the pit and was using their moment of fear to catch his breath. Suddenly, the entire cavern started shaking and Link heard a loud screech from behind him. He turned and saw something coming out of the pit. It was a giant leever! Definitely the leader of all the leevers in the desert, he thought. The leevers, now galvanized by the appearance of their leader, charged him once again.

'This isn't good.' he thought. 'My energy is fading fast . . . I can't keep this up much longer.' No matter how many he killed, every time the leader screeched more would come from the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

'The ceiling! That's it!'

Clearing a space around him with a spin attack, he shot an arrow at the large leever to get its attention. "Hey big guy! Over here!" he taunted. He ran away from the pit, swinging his sword as he went, and making sure the leader was giving chase. Suddenly, Link stopped, turned, and aimed his bow with a bomb arrow. He didn't aim at the leever, though, and instead aimed it up at the large stalactite on the ceiling. He pulled back and shot his arrow at the base of the stalactite, and it exploded in a cloud of smoke. It started as a crack, then it quickly spread through the stalactite until it fell toward the oncoming leever. It impaled the creature through.

It writhed and struggled shortly before becoming limp. The creature exploded into nothing soon after its death. The smaller leevers, seeing their leader dead, dispersed into the ground in all directions. Link saw a tunnel on the other side of the pit. He sheathed his sword, took one of the torches, and moved on.

"Hold on, Midna . . . I'm coming."

Meanwhile, Midna was still unable to move in the Forgotten One's prison. It had been simply staring at her for a while. Finally, Midna had enough.

"Would you knock it off?" she suddenly yelled.

"Hmm, whatever do you mean?"

"That staring . . . it's creepy."

"I'm just admiring my new pet."

"Freak." She spat. For a moment, she thought she saw its eyes widen.

"What's this? Hmm . . . it seems I underestimated the Hylian. I did not expect him to be able to get past my other pets . . . interesting."

Midna was relieved to hear Link had survived. "Ha! What did you expect? You'd best be getting ready to die!" She smirked.

"It seems that I am going to have to take care of this myself." The glowing eyes disappeared.

'Be careful, Link.'

Link, unable to heal his injuries, limped along the tunnel. "Great . . . I used all of my potions in the Arbiter's grounds so now I have none left when I really need them!" he muttered to himself. He continued limping until he arrived at another large, yet curious, room.

It was about as large as the last cavern, if not larger, yet it looked like the inside to a mansion. Furniture, portraits, walls, floors, carpets, and even an overly large staircase in the center of the room leading to another floor were all there, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was all made of hardened sand. 'Kind of like being in a large sand castle.' he thought. At the base of the stairs was the creature Link had seen earlier.

"Ahh... you've arrived. Now I see why she is so interested in you... you are quite capable." The Forgotten One said.

"She?" Link asked, though he had a feeling who it was talking about, but the "interested" comment confused him slightly.

"Midna, of course." it replied.

Now that her name had been brought out into the open, Link abandoned all sense of calm he had been showing. "Where is she?" Link demanded.

"Where? Why, she's right here." It raised itself up with sand to tower above Link. Then, its arm started bulging as if something were traveling in it. Midna suddenly appeared in its grasp. She was gasping for air in its sandy grip.

"Li... Link." she rasped out.

"See... I've kept her right here, inside me, and I promise no harm has come to her." The Forgotten One mocked him.

"Don't worry, Midna! Just hang on!" Link shot an arrow at the creature's arm, but it went right through and had no effect.

"What the...?" Link was surprised to say the least. The Forgotten One laughed at his attempt.

"Can you not see? I am made entirely of sand; no mere arrow can harm me."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you!" He shot more arrows at random points of the creature's body, and all had the same effect as the first.

"Haha! You are a slow learner. How can you be Hyrule's only hope? How can you the one she loves?"

'What is he talking about?" Link wondered but didn't dwell on it long.

"Try anything you like, boy! You will die here; forgotten in the sands just as I am."

Suddenly, the Forgotten One molded into the ground, and reappeared behind Link. Link took a swing with his sword, but it held Midna up as a shield and Link was barely able to stop in time. The Forgotten One, taking advantage of Link's hesitation, hardened the sand of his other arm, and punched Link in the gut and sent him crashing into the sand stairs. Link struggled to stand, but the Forgotten One didn't allow him time to stand. He shot sand bullets from his arm, and they connected solidly with Link's chest, sending him sprawling up the stairs to the second floor.

The Forgotten One reappeared on the second floor in front of the hole Link's body had created. "Is that all you have. Perhaps I _overestimated_ you instead." Suddenly, a metal claw shot out of the hole at the Forgotten One's body. It went through him, but grabbed on to the sand chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Link came flying out of the hole, and as he passed through the Forgotten One he delivered four quick slashes. Link landed at the entrance of the cavern and looked back to see the damage. The Forgotten One was split into pieces, but they quickly rejoined and the creature was whole once again.

"Your efforts are most amusing, hero. However, they are futile. How can you possibly defeat sand?" It laughed at Link.

'Sand, hm... that might work.' he thought. 'Great Fairy of the winds,' he took out his gale boomerang. 'Give me the power of wind!'

He heard a voice in his head of a woman speaking. 'I shall grant you all the power I have, oh hero of Hyrule. Hold out thy weapon, and let the power of the gales be yours!' Link did as he was told and held the boomerang in front of him. A small cyclone of wind started forming around him. It steadily grew and grew until a heavy wind was whipping around the room.

"W-what are you doing?" Stop it! Stop it now!" The Forgotten One commanded in a voice tinged with fear.

The make-shift room of sand started to be pulled into the forming twister, including the creature. Its body started to fall apart and lose shape from being pulled in. Because of this, his hold on Midna weakened and she was able to free herself.

Once all the sand, which was a lot, was taken in by the twister it transformed into more of a sphere of wind. Link raised the sphere above his head and the wind increased. The wind pressure was so great and the friction became so hot, the wind started to turn to glass. Suddenly, the wind stopped and particles of glass fell around Link. He put his boomerang away, and the next second he felt something small and warm cling to his neck. The surprise caused him to lose his balance and fell to the ground. He finally realized Midna was hugging him.

"Thank you for coming for me." she whispered into his ear. He placed a hand on the small of her back. They laid there for a few moments of comfortable silence before standing.

"Well then, Midna, should we try to find a way out of here?" he asked.

"Sure, I'm tired of this dinky cave anyway."

At just that moment, a loud rumbling shook the cavern. Pieces of it started to collapse and fall from the ceiling. The floor of the cavern felt like it was trying to rise, which caused them to look down. The loss of all the sand revealed what had been buried deep in the depths of the sand. It was a large creature! It opened its eyes, which were eerily familiar to the Forgotten One's, and the rumbling increased. It tried to move up, but was still semi-buried. Every try would cause more and more of a cave-in.

"I think it wants out of here as well!" Link shouted over the noise.

Midna remembered what the Forgotten One had said. "_You see, I've been under this desert for much longer than I care to remember. All I did was fall asleep for a few millennia and when I awoke, this desert had been created on top of me._" its voice resounded in her memory.

"Link! I think _this_ thing is that sand creature's true form!" she shouted.

What! You've got to be kidding me. That means this thing still wants to kill me."

Finally the monster pushed up with enough force to break through and shot toward the ceiling. Link quickly put on the magic armor he recently bought (and bought it smart at Malo-Mart) and covered Midna with his body. The Forgotten One broke through all the way up to the surface, and before Link or Midna knew it, they were high in the sky. The Forgotten One itself was a strange creature. It had a large whale-like head, large bird like wings, and a body type of an eel. It was about as big as Castle Town itself. Link and Midna were standing on the back of the creature at around the middle of its slithery back.

Link started walking against the strong wind toward the monster's head. Suddenly, a slime secreted by the creature formed around Link's feet, immobilizing him. Some feather's detached themselves from the monster's wings, each turning on Link with razor sharp points.

Link put up his shield to block, but they went around him and attacked his open back, but Midna swatted them down with her powers, and she also helped to pull him out of the ooze. He noticed the smell of the secretion smelled familiar to him, and then he realized he had smelled it before. 'It smells like... oil!' he deduced.

"Alright... you want to play rough? I'm game. Midna!" he yelled. She rushed to him to hear.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to try something risky, and we're going to have to move fast, understand?"

She smiled at him before answering. "You always try something risky, but it always seems to turn out well so yes I understand."

"OK then!" He took out an arrow, dipped the tip in some of the ooze from the creature's back, filled his lantern with some of it as well, and lit the tip on fire with the lantern. He aimed high to give them extra time, and shot the arrow into the sky. It flew toward the monster's tail end, and embedded itself in the flesh of the Forgotten One. In seconds, the Forgotten One caught fire and it quickly spread from the secretion. Link started running with Midna following close behind to try and escape the oncoming fire. The Forgotten One screeched in pain, but it didn't falter in its flight. Soon, almost all of the Forgotten One was on fire, and it began to rain fire on Hyrule.

Link made his way to the monster's head when it began to take a steep dive. Link embedded his sword in its flesh and held on tight. The Forgotten One was headed toward the grand Lake Hylia at full speed, and had no intention of stopping. It crashed into the water, and the force of the water hit Link hard and fast, almost making him lose his hold on his sword. They shot toward the lake bed in an instance, and Link could actually see the Zora temple at the bottom of the lake. When Link was almost out of breath, the Forgotten One shot back to the surface of the lake, and rocketed back to the sky. The swim through the lake had extinguished all the fire, and now the monster was angry.

The Forgotten One began to turn sharply, and actually flipped over in an attempt to throw Link off. Link held on for dear life, but at one point he looked dared open his eyes and looked at Hyrule below him. He could see a lot of the places he had been. Kakariko Village, Hyrule Castle, the many fields of Hyrule, Ordon, and Lake Hylia from his recent swim. Places he was trying to save, and many of them he couldn't even go to again.

He was jerked out of his thoughts when the monster returned to its upright position. Link pulled out his sword and raised his sword high to impale the creature again this time with more force, but it jerked suddenly , and Link went flying through the air and was swallowed by the Forgotten One in the same motion.

Link opened his eyes and realized he was sitting on the tongue of the monster. He stood slowly, trying to think of a way out when Midna appeared in front of him.

"Great, now we're fish/ bird/ eel food." she said.

"Calm down... we'll find a way out of this."

They heard a weird a rumble coming from farther inside the creature. They stared at the dark tunnel leading to its stomach, expecting something dangerous. Then, after a suspenseful wait, a slimy, yellow liquid crept out of the black.

"Eww... what is that?" Midna noise wrinkled at the smell.

"I... don't know."

The liquid crept toward them at a slow pace. Eventually, it reached Link's boots, and immediately steam rose from contact and the bottom of the boots began to melt. He quickly stepped back.

"It's some kind of acid! I think we're going to be digested!" Midna exclaimed.

Link pulled out his bow and shot randomly into the creature, but with no effect. There was a thin membrane protecting its eternal organs. He pulled out the ordon sword, which he kept with the intention of returning it to Rusl one after his journey, and started at it for a few moments. Finally, he came to a decision.

"Sorry, Rusl, it was a good sword." He switched the sword in his hand to a spear hold. He raised his arm up and back, and held it the stance. Unbeknownst to him, the triforce symbol on his hand glowed. He threw the sword, and it glowed with a golden light and was endowed with extra speed and power. The sword cut through all protection and pierced the Forgotten One's heart. The Forgotten One let out an ear-splitting screech and Link and Midna were spat out immediately. They were free falling miles in the air before Midna teleported them safely to the ground.

They teleported to the southern field of Hyrule, and they watched the Forgotten One fall hard not far from them. It let out one last dying cry before exploding to nothingness.

Link sat down on the grass and let out a sigh. "Well... that was difficult." he said.

Midna floated near his head. "You're still injured, you know." she pointed out.

"Oh yeah, with all the excitement, I had forgotten. We should probably get to a healing spring, huh?"

"Why are you doing it, Link?" she suddenly asked. "Why are you putting yourself in such danger even when nobody appreciates you for it?"

"Why? Hm, haven't really thought about it. Up till now... I didn't have much of a choice. If I didn't save Hyrule, the kids, and Ilia... then no one would. That's what the light spirits basically said anyway. I was always told that I had to or I should do it by villagers and the light spirits and, well... by basically all of Hyrule. Even you for a time told what I had to do and to do it, but at least you were a bit more blunt about it. I was never really asked what I wanted to do. I mean sure... if I was asked I probably would've said yes anyway, but nonetheless. Now... I feel like I'm doing things because I really want to. I'm looking for the mirror shards because I want to, I'm trying to save Hyrule and stop Zant because I want to, and I saved you and killed that creature because I wanted to... that's all." He stood, reached down and picked something up, and held out his hand to Midna. When he opened it, she saw it was the bug that had started the mess in the desert. "Hehe, I'm even finding these bugs because I want to." He smiled, pocketed the bug, and started walking.

"You continue to amaze me, Link. Just to let you know," she floated up behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and whispered into his ear: "I appreciate you." She floated ahead of him while he stopped walking. He stared at her in surprise before letting a grin break out across his face. She stopped and turned back to him.

"Come on! Don't you want to get healed or what?" she called to him.

"Yeah, I'm coming!"  
_

Another chapter done and another fuzzy feeling, hehe. Anyways I'm _**finally**_ back after my hectic and complex summer. I feel bad for just letting my stories sit on the site doing absolutely nothing, so I will be posting a lot more soon. In fact ch 3 of this story will be posted as well as this one as a bonus. THANK YOU to those that read my fics, and you are in my thoughts, and as always review please!


	3. Melting the Ice

**Shunned Hero**

Link X Midna Fanfiction

Disclaimer: All rights to the Legend of Zelda franchise go entirely to Nintendo.

This chapter does contain a lemon so be warned. It's my first one so constructive criticism would be appreciated, but of course no flames.  
_

Chapter three: Melting the Ice

Link and Midna were standing in the 3rd floor tower in the yeti's house after having just defeated the hypnotized Yeta and acquiring another mirror shard. They watched the extremely emotional scene with the yetis, and felt very uncomfortable while doing so. They both glanced at each other, and thinking they were caught staring at the other, blushed, and looked away quickly.

'What is wrong with me?' Link thought. 'Why am I feeling so weird around Midna now?'

'What is wrong with me?' Midna similarly thought. 'I shouldn't be thinking about him like this! Stupid Yeti and stupid sand monster for putting ideas in my head!'

The uncomfortable silence that followed, well comfortable only for the yeti who were still hugging, was finally broken by Midna.

"Eh . . . I-I'll get you out of here now if there's nothing else you need to do." She offered to Link. He nodded and she teleported them out of the mansion. They were teleported to the top of the mountain, and since Link felt they were in no hurry, they walked down the steep, snowy side of the mountain.

When they got half way down, they were attacked by a pack of wolfos and ice keese. Link slashed at a wolfos attacking from the front, and ducked to avoid a keese swooping overhead. Two wolfos jumped at him from his left and right, but he knocked the one on his left away with his shield and dispatched the one on his right with his sword in the same motion. He was pushed back to a cliff face with many wolfos closing in. They all leaped at once, and with expert timing, Link used a spin attack, destroying them all. They keese ran away immediately after seeing the stronger beasts dead.

"Well that wasn't so bad." Link chuckled.

"Yeah, and that's why you have a bad cut on your arm, which we should take a look at." Midna remarked.

He looked at his arm, which by now had a red streak in his green tunic sleeve, and shrugged.

"Oh that? I got that while fighting the big ice monster for the mirror shard back at the mansion." he said nonchalantly.

"What! You idiot! Why didn't you say something?" she yelled.

"I-uh . . . just didn't think it was that bad and it could wait till later. Also . . . I didn't want to worry you." He tried explaining.

"Well of course I would worry! Who else is going to if even _you_ don't care about your own well being? Now sit!" she ordered imperiously.

"But . . . shouldn't we get off this mountain first?" he asked.

"Sit!"

"Ok . . . " he let out meekly. He sat on the snow under a large tree.

"Now take off your shirt." she ordered again, but was less commanding this time.

"But its cold."

"Take it off!"

He did as told and took off his tunic, undershirt, and chainmail till he was sitting half-naked . . . in the cold.

"I-I'm f-freezing, Midna." he whined.

"Oh shut up. Consider it your punishment for being stupid and thoughtless. Now . . . let's look at that arm."

She floated up to him and lifted his arm to inspect the wound. He had a rather large cut starting from his shoulder and ending at his lower arm. It was irritated and still bleeding, but luckily it wasn't too deep.

"Well . . . we don't have any potions, but I can bandage you up I suppose with some rags in your bag." she said.

She got out what looked more like a towel and started tearing strips of it, and began rolling and tying them around his arm. Link watched her careful ministrations and her concentrated, scrunched up face and couldn't help thinking how cute she was. He didn't even realize he was smiling.

However, Midna was having a harder time with her work. She was trying to keep her eyes off a shirtless Link, and trying not to feel the muscles of his arm as her small hands moved up, down, and around his arm.

'Damn it!' Midna swore. 'What am I . . . some swooning school girl? Pull yourself together, Midna!'

"Midna?" Link suddenly said, breaking Midna out of her mental berating. "Are you feeling well? Your face is really red. Do you have a fever?"

"N-no, I'm fine." she tied the last strip tight, making Link yelp, and effectively changed the subject.

"There, all done." she smiled at her handy work.

"Thanks. That feels a lot better." he grinned.

She blushed again. "Yeah, whatever. Just get your shirt back on before you catch a cold."

He did just that, relieved to have some protection against the elements. After resting for a few more minutes, they continued down the mountain. After a little while longer, Link felt a cold chill down his spine. He stopped and unsheathed his sword, motioning for Midna to stop.

"What is it, Link?" she asked when seeing his eyes darting back and forth; a sign of danger.

"Shh . . . " His warrior spirit was poised and alert. A blizzard started to form, and it whipped and whirled around Link gaining speed every second. With the sound of the wind came a shrill cackle. Through the snow, Link could faintly see a dim light floating inside the blizzard.

"I think it's a Poe, and a big one at that. Midna. You know what to do." he glanced at her. She nodded, and transformed him into wolf-Link.

Using his canine senses, he was able to clearly see the Poe. It looked different from a normal Poe, and he was right about it being bigger than average; it was nearly three times normal size. Also, instead of being blue this one was red and had large horns on its head. It still had a scythe, only it also had a second scythe and both were as big as a tree. It had four arms, which allowed it to wield both scythes. It stood on its floating lantern like usual, but even that had an eerier glow than normal.

Link growled, but through his mental link with Midna he said, "What is that thing? It doesn't look anything like any Poe I've ever seen."

"It's a Reap, and I think . . . it may have come in contact with the mirror shard we just got." she said.

"What? How is that possible? We've had it the whole time."

"No I mean it may have had it, or at least touched it_ before_ Yeti got it. He did say he found it, but we don't know where or when they found it, understand?"

"I see, and you may be right. This will be a tough fight, then, if the power of the mirror shards is involved."

"Yes, so do be careful. I'm not bandaging you up again." she smirked.

"Got it."

He lunged forward through the snow to attack first with blinding speed before Midna had a chance to mount him. He had almost reached the Reap when it started swinging the scythes in a rapid and deadly circle around its body. Link was just able to stop in time before being cut in half by the spinning scythes. He was being pushed back by the charging Reap with the scythes a blur of death.

Eventually, he was backed up against a tree with the Reap oncoming. The Reap, seeing his foe cornered, let out a cackle and went in for the kill. Link waited for the right moment, and then jumped on the tree and rebounded off the bark, over the spinning scythes, and face to face with the Reap. Link clamped down on one of the Reap's horns, and used his momentum to swing it around and bring it crashing down on the ground. The force of the impact broke the horn off the Reap, and the Reap was sent tumbling through the snow. Link charged on the downed creature and leaped upon it. He only got in a few slashes before being hit in the stomach with the butt of a scythe. He let out a yelp and was flung backwards.

He got back up, but not quick enough, as he was surprised to see the Reap already up and charging him again. This time, though, the Reap was swinging the scythes in a chopping motion. Apparently, the Reap didn't want Link doing what he did again so it didn't give him time to counterattack. Link let himself get pushed backwards until the Reap got into a rhythm. Suddenly, Link stopped his retreating and rushed forward, catching the Reap off guard. He manuvered between the scythes, and when he got in close he lunged and latched his jaws onto the Reap's throat. The Reap let out a shrill scream of anguish, and used two of its arms to beat Link mercilessly until he was forced to let go, but not before he kicked off the Reap and sent it reeling back.

Link was up quickly this time and rushed forward so as not to get surprised again. The Reap, still getting up, changed its tactics. It waited for Link to get closer, and then it threw both scythes at Link with deadly speed and accuracy. Link, not expecting the projectile scythes, tried to dodge by jumping to the side, but wasn't able to get away completely unscathed and was slashed on his side by one of the blades, though not deep, it bled profusely.

"Link!" Midna yelled in concern and she rushed over to him. He struggled to get on his paws

"Grr, I'm fine . . . Midna. Don't worry about me."

"Stop saying that! I'll worry about you if I damn well please! Now it's time for me to help you out."

Link was finally able to stand up, "OK, Midna, let's do this."

The Reap had retrieved his scythes, and seeing his prey hurt, charged forward without paying attention to the new player on the field. Midna, using the power of her hair, uprooted a tree, roots and all, and swung with all her might at the Reap, which connected solidly. The Reap was sent hurtling toward a cliff face and smashed into it; the impact leaving it stunned. Midna threw the tree and impaled the Reap to the cliff before it could recover. Link jumped on one of the tree branches and raced down the trunk, the Reap's soul in his sights. He reached the end and tugged the soul right from the Reap's ghostly body, killing the Reap instantly.

Link jumped down from the tree, and transformed him back into a Hylian. "Thank you, Minda." he smiled.

"Well I can't let you get killed now can I?" she smiled back.

"No, I suppose not, hehe."

They were about to continue down the mountain when they were stopped by an ominous wind. They halted and turned back to where the Reap had dissipated. They saw nothing, but its lantern lay on the ground with a small flame still lit. The flame actually left the lantern and started floating. It traveled slowly toward Link, and started circling him. Finally, it went into Link's bomb bag, and they heard a sparking sound.

"Link! Get rid of the bag!" Midna shouted.

Link threw the bag as far from himself as he could, and took cover behind a boulder. The explosion was a huge one, and it seemed to shake the entire mountain. When it was over, the mountainside was covered in smoke. Link walked out from behind the boulder cautiously.

*cough*cough* "That was *cough* unexpected." he said.

"I think it was a final act of revenge. Good thing it didn't work, though you did lose a lot of bombs."

"I. . . wouldn't say it _didn't_ work."

"What do you mean?"

"Look!" he pointed to an avalanche rapidly approaching. It looked as if all the snow on the mountain was coming at them.

"Quick, Midna, teleport us!"

"T-there's no time!" she said in desperation.

"Then run!"

They ran as fast as they could toward the bottom of the mountain, but as Link looked over his shoulder, he saw there was no way they could outrun the avalanche quickly gaining on them destroying everything in its path. Link came to a quick decision. He put on his iron boots, crouched down, and put up his shield with his sword to reinforce it. "Midna, get out of here!"

"What? You're crazy if you think I'm leaving you here!"

"Don't worry, Midna, just go!"

"For the last time, STOP SAYING THAT! When are you going to understand that no matter how much you tell me not to, I'm going to worry about you when you do insane stunts like _this_! I _care_ about you. I'm not leaving!"

Link's eyes widened at her words, but with the avalanche almost upon them Link changed his arguing tactic. "Midna," his voice became softer and was almost too low to hear over the avalanche. "Please . . . go. I-I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. So _please_ . . . " he pleaded, and a lone tear fell down his face expressing his fear.

Midna was speechless. She couldn't believe her ears or eyes. 'Does he mean what I think he means? And is he . . . afraid?' That thought alone shocked her to no end. If _he_ was scared of a situation, then there was probably a strong chance he wouldn't survive it. 'Oh like hell I'm leaving now.' she thought. She latched her arms around his neck and faced the avalanche as well.

"M-Midna? What are you doing?"

"I'm not leaving you!" she repeated.

He sighed. 'Sometimes there's no arguing with her.' "Fine . . . just hold on tight!"

The avalanche hit Link harder than a whole tribe gorons all at once. Upon impact, he felt some of his bones break. He knew for a fact left arm was broken, and his right leg was probably fractured, but he felt pain throughout his body. Midna was using her hair as a hand to help push against the snow. Link and Midna were both at their limits, and were finally swept away with the rampaging snow.

The side of the mountain was blanketed with white, untouched snow. There wasn't a sound uttered; it was like a still life portrait. Suddenly, a metal claw shot out of the snow and buried itself in the bark of a tree. Something, or rather someone, shot out of the snow as well. The claw disconnected while Link was still in the air, causing him to flop on the snow in a heap. He stood up painfully, using the tree as support, with Midna's small form in his right arm.

'Not good,' he thought, 'she's over exerted herself, and I think she might be sick.' He couldn't help smile in remembrance of her scolding him earlier. "I should be getting angry at _you_ now . . . for not telling me you had a fever."

He looked up the mountain and down the mountain, and weighed his options. Going down the mountain to get to Zora's domain would be faster, but he knew he'd never be able to cross the icy lake in his condition. Going up the mountain would be much slower and more difficult, bu he knew if he could reach the yeti's mansion he would receive help there. He made up his mind quickly, and started his ascent back up the mountain. He carried Midna in a bundle in the crook of his arm, wrapped up in a blanket to help her stay warm. The going was slow, made so by Link's injuries.

At on point, Midna opened her eyes and whispered, " . . . Link . . . " He hadn't heard her, and she hadn't meant for him to. She was content to just look up at his face. Every once in a while, Link would cringe in pain, and Midna wished she could do something to help. She clutched the front of his tunic and buried her face in his shirt.

He stumbled in the snow multiple times, but he was able to regain his balance and stop from falling each time. He knew if he even fell once he would never get back up again. After a seemingly endless clime, he finally could see the old, ruined mansion the yetis lived in. He reached the front door after a short time, and he kicked open the door with his better leg because his hands were occupied. Yeti came immediately to the sound of the door banging, and was surprised to see Link torn and battered. Yeti rushed forward to tower over Link.

"Link! Uh-What happen?" Link didn't answer, but instead held out an arm that had a semiconscious Midna in it.

"Help . . . her." he pleaded. Yeti stared at him in confusion for a moment before nodding and taking Midna in his large arms. Link smiled weakly and nodded. "Thank you . . . " Yeti walked away with Midna, and in return Link heard him say, "Yeti get you uh-special soup." Link watched him go and leave the entrance hall before falling forward and letting himself slip into the welcoming black.

Link awoke some time later, and the first thing he felt was the soreness and pain of his entire body. Slowly, he sat up from where he was lying and was able to take in his surroundings. He was in the yeti's living room, lying on one of the sofas near the blazing fireplace with a wool blanket over him. Not far from him, was Midna on a similar sofa even closer to the fire, and wrapped up in a similar blanket; she seemed to be sleeping. On a small table next to him, was a bowl of Yeti's special soup on a tray. That soup, Link knew, could heal as well as any potion, and tasted better in Link's opinion. He picked up the tray with his good arm, placed it on his lap, and began to eat the soup. As soon as he put the spoon in his mouth and the took the first mouthful of soup, he immediately started to feel better.

"That's good soup." he chuckled. At the sound of his voice, Midna opened her eyes.

"L-Link . . . " she whispered. He wanted nothing more to rush to her side, but he could barely move himself so he had to settle for giving her a reassuring smile.

"I'm here, Midna. How are you feeling?"

She turned her face from his and stared into the fire, a pained look in her usually piercing eyes. ". . . I'll be fine . . . " she mumbled. He didn't understand why she was being so distant, and it hurt somewhat, but he figured she'd talk about it when she was ready.

They spent the next week at the yeti's mansion; recovering. It would have taken much longer, but luckily the yetis were great caretakers. Link was sitting on the sofa he'd been bedridden on for a week, moving his legs and arms, and was relieved they no longer hurt. His tunic and shirt had been removed while he was resting, and were in a neat pile in the corner in the room along with the rest of his equipment. He looked over at Midna, who was sitting by the fire on the carpet, and staring into it as she had been for the past week. Yeta had taken off Midna's headdress when she had a fever, and she had yet to put it on. She had barely said more than a word to Link since they had been injured, and he was determined to find out why now that he could move. He walked over to the fire and sat down next to her. She continued to stare at the fire without responding to his presence.

"Midna? Please tell me . . . what's wrong?" When she didn't answer, he put his hands on her shoulders and made her face him, yet he was stunned to see tears in her eyes. She made no attempt to resist him or brush away her tears, but let him see them. She looked so helpless; something he had _never_ seen. Even when mortally wounded by Zant, she still had a spark of life allowing her to hang on. She glared at him, and the next second he felt his left cheek sting. She had slapped him, and a small, red hand print appeared on his cheek.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" What do you _think_ is wrong? It's wrong that you put yourself in such _stupid_ and _dangerous_ situations day after day, and expect the one's that care about you to be ok with it! It's wrong that you nearly died and expected me to leave you! It's wrong that you try so hard on my account, and make me feel so pathetic! It's wrong that you risk your very life for people who don't even _want _you to! It's wrong how I feel about you, and it's wrong that you'd dare leave me utterly alone in either world by dying!" Link couldn't respond to any of her ranting, and his mind couldn't take in the fact she pouring out her heart and soul to him so suddenly.

She continued, "Why! Why do I feel this way? I want to hate you, but I-I . . . " She couldn't go on any further. Link felt so bad that his actions hurt her _this _much. All he could do was wrap his arms around her and hold her tight against his chest. Her tears came freely now, like a floodgate being released after holding so much in.

He whispered into her ear, "I'm so sorry, Midna. I promise, I'll _never_ leave you." She removed her face from his shoulder when she was finally done crying all her pent-up tears. Before the courage could leave her, she cupped his face in her hands and crushed her lips to his, attempting to convey all her conflicting emotions and feelings to him through that one physical contact.

She was about to pull away when he returned the favor and pushed against her lips with a passion, also attempting to express his feelings at the same time to comfort her. They kissed with increasing fervor, neither wanting to stop for if they did, they shared a fear that the other would disappear and leave them alone. They were all they had in both worlds, and they both knew that.

When they finally had to pull away for air, their faces were flushed and were both breathing heavily. They peered into each other's eyes and nodded, for they both knew what was going to happen.

Link leaned forward to capture Midna's lips again, which she gladly allowed him to. He licked his tongue across her lips begging for entrance so she parted her lips to allow him entrance. He explored her wet cavern while she sucked on his tongue. As he explored her with his tongue, his hands roamed her small form. His left hand snaked around her grabbed her backside while the other massaged her breasts. She moaned into the kiss and pressed closer to him, pleading for more.

She rubbed against his erection accidentally while trying to get more of him, causing him to gasp and break their kiss. She looked at him quizzically, looked down, and repeated the motion. He moaned once again at the friction, and she gave him a devious smirk.

"Like that, huh?" he nodded. "Well then, you're going to have to _beg_ me to touch it, my wolf. Go on, beg."

He sighed in frustration; he knew how much she loved to control him. "Please, Midna, touch . . . it." He blushed at his own embarrassing request.

"Of course, Link," she wrapped her arms around his neck, "but you're not going to have all of the fun."

She ground her womanhood into his erect member through its confines, making both moan simultaneously. Back and forth she grinded until Link felt the pressure building. Suddenly, though, she stopped and lifted herself. Before he could stop himself, he actually let out a whimper of protest. Her eyes widened at the sound, then she let slip another smirk. "Relax, my horny wolf, I'm not done with you _yet_." Since she was in control, all she had to do to get him on his back was a light push.

She reached her hands down and grasped his member through the thin fabric of his pants. She massaged the tip with her small hands before pulling his pants down and off in one motion, allowing his erection to spring freely into the open. She took a minute to admire him, as this was the first time she saw a man's penis, and he was larger than average, and she wondered if he'd be able to fit into her. Now they were both naked, well Midna never wore any clothes to begin with, and Midna eyed his manhood like it was a sweet treat. She tapped him on the tip, watching as it bobbed back and forth.

"Well _someone's_ happy to see me." she teased. She gave him a long lick from base to tip. Link felt his entire body shudder from the sensation. She grasped his member in her hands and started working her hands up and down his shaft. Link groaned at her ministrations and turned to jelly in her hands. He threw his head back when he felt her hot, little mouth engulf his head.

"Oh goddesses, Midna!" he moaned.

Her tongue swirled around the tip, and gradually she took more in. Eventually, she was able to comfortably take in all of him. She slowly raised her head, sucking as she went, and went back down again. At first, she took a long, deep suck while moving up the shaft, and when she got to the tip, it would be released from her mouth with an audible pop, and she licked the tip some more before going back down. Link's moans were all the encouragement she needed to keep going. Soon, she was sucking with rapid speed while her hands pumped the rest of the shaft.

Link could feel the pressure rising to its peak. "Mi . . . Midna . . . I-I'm gonna–ah!" He came into her mouth and she felt warm spurts of liquid hit the back of her throat. She swallowed all of it eagerly, and cleaned him thoroughly. She looked up at him and licked her lips.

"Tasty." She gave him a toothy smile before standing. He sat back up and she straddled his waist. Suddenly, he flipped her over so he was on top, and gently laid her on the floor.

"Now it's my turn." He started at her neck, licking and nipping gently downwards. He suckled lightly on her collarbone, and Midna was loving every second of it. Everything he did set a fire in her that couldn't be dowsed, and made every part of her body _yearn_.

"Link . . . Link . . . " He had reached her chest, and was enjoying making her moan his name. He massaged her right breast with his hand while his tongue to play with the other. He flicked his hot orifice over the bud, and apparently Midna is very sensitive because she gasped and arched her back, pressing his head closer to her chest.

He continued down her body, placing light, butterfly kisses as he went. He swirled his tongue in her naval, and kissed her belly. When he reached her legs, he smelled her arousal and saw how wet he was making her. He placed his hands on her inner thighs and spread her legs wide. He saw her hairless, pink slit leaking with her juices, and he felt his member twitch and ache in anticipation.

Midna had never felt so exposed before, and she wished he'd just get on with it. However, he kissed her inner thighs, legs, feet, and blew on her slit, but he didn't touch her; he was enjoying teasing her too much. She was getting impatient.

"Li-Link." Her voice had a threatening tone to it. He laughed at her attempt to remain in control.

"Now, now, Midna, if you want me to touch it . . . you're going to have to _beg_." She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"You are_ so_ annoying." she growled.

"Mi-idna." He smirked. She hated not being in control, but she knew he had won. She swallowed her pride and said, "Please, Link, touch it." she mimicked what Link had said.

"Gladly, Midna." He cupped her pussy in his hand and rubbed it. Midna took a sharp intake of breath at the contact; she didn't think it would feel that good from such a simple touch. After a little longer of rubbing, he penetrated her inner folds with his index finger. Midna let out a long moan.

"Ohh, Link. It feels soo . . . _good_!" He thrust into her with his finger while his thumb rubbed her clitoris at the top of her pussy. Her juices were flowing out of her now, and onto his hand. Soon after, he inserted a second finger, and then a third. Midna was thrashing wildly about and moaning his name loudly without caring who heard.

Link lowered his head and gave her slit an experimental lick. Realizing he liked the taste, he lowered his head and lapped up her juices as they poured out. Midna had reached a new level of ecstacy, and she grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pushed his head down further. He would use his skilled tongue to penetrate her inner folds or he would simply drag his tongue across her dripping folds.

"Oh goddesses! Link I'm cumming!" It was all too much for Midna to handle, and she came hard into Link's mouth. He swallowed what he could, but most landed on his chin and the floor. He kept licking until he was sure there was none left, then he brought himself back to Midna. He hovered over her tiny frame, and brought his face inches to hers. She was taking fast, rapid breaths, and he loved the way her face was flushed.

He brought his lips to hers, more gentle than before, the taste of each other still on their lips. She kissed him back immediately, and she already felt her strength returning. They started kissing with their former passion, reigniting the heat in her body. They separated, and Link stared into Midna's eyes.

"Are you sure, Midna? There's no turning back if we do this." he warned.

She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now, and I know it's wrong, but . . . I love you, Link. I realize our worlds can't mix, but I still fell in love with you, a light dweller. I don't expect you to return my feelings, but please let me have this one night."

He took her face in his hands. "Don't worry, Midna . . . I love you too, and I _don't_ think it's wrong. So if you're sure you want this, as I do, then you'll have all of me: mind, body, and soul.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him, her breasts pressed against his chest. He positioned himself at her entrance and steadied himself.

"Ready?" he asked one more time. She nodded.

He thrust forward and entered her, breaking her hymen in one, fast motion. Pain flashed across Midna's face and tears started to well up in her eyes. Link held her gently and spoke soothingly into her ear, even though it was taking all his will power not to ravage her. Soon, the pain subsided and she felt pleasure unlike anything she felt before. She nodded to him to continue.

He slowly pulled out and thrust back in. He kept up the slow pace, afraid he'd hurt her, until Midna whispered into his ear, "faster," in which case he gladly obeyed. His thrusts became shorter, faster, and harder; her juices allowing the large member to slide easily in and out of her at a quick pace. Midna was screaming his name now.

"Link! Ha . . . harder . . . faster!" she let out a deep moan.

"Unh, Midna . . . you're so . . . _tight_!" he groaned.

He brought them to a sitting position to make it more comfortable, and he held onto her rounded hips as leverage as she slammed down onto his shaft. With the new position, he could also penetrate deeper than before. With each thrust, her breasts rubbed against Link's chest, stimulating Midna even more. Link had never felt something so hot and tight in his life, and soon he was burying himself completely in her. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoed throughout the room, along with loud and deep moans, and the two lovers were silhouetted by the fire.

Link tilted her head up and crushed his lips to hers, and their tongues dueled with a frenzy for dominance. Their mouths separated with an audible pop, a string of saliva connected their tongues, but their eyes never stopped gazing into the others.

Link felt the pressure building in his groin. "Midna! I think I'm gonna cum!" he said.

"Oh yes, Link! Please, I want you to cum inside me!" she moaned in ecstacy.

They sped-up their lovemaking, and they could feel their climaxes fast approaching. Midna latched onto Link's neck, and bit down on his shoulder, making Link experience an odd mixture of pain and pleasure. Link's thrusting kept hitting Midna's g-spot, making her lose control altogether. Her inner walls clamped down on Link's shaft and the increased friction made Link release as well.

"LINK!" "MIDNA!" They shouted together before they climaxed together. Link saw a flash of white when he climaxed, and his hot seed shot into Midna. Midna's juices overflowed, and some spilled out onto the carpet. Link didn't take out his member immediately, allowing them both to ride their orgasms completely.

They took a few moments to catch their breaths and rest. When they did, Midna tilted Link's head to look down at her, and she had a devious look in her eyes.

She scratched under his chin and asked, "Is that all you got, Link?" His eyes widened when she pushed him down onto his back. She hovered herself over his limp manhood, and stroked it with her hands. It didn't take long for him to become erect again, and when he did she stood above him with her legs on both sides of his waist. She slowly lowered herself, and her entrance was inches from his twitching member. She teased him by rubbing his tip along her slit, but never actually allowing penetration. At one point, when Link got tired of waiting, he thrust upward to try and enter her, but she pulled away and raised her finger at him like she was scolding a child.

"Ah-ah-ah . . . not so fast, Link. I'm calling the shots now, so you're going to have to behave." She leaned down and bit his ear playfully. He rolled his eyes and pouted, but resigned himself to wait till she was done torturing him.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long as she soon ached for the feel of him, and she impaled herself upon him; taking all of him at once. "Ohh gods, Link! It's so _good_! She moaned. Her hands were on his chest for leverage, and she slowly raised herself up to his tip before quickly ramming down again, earning another moan from them both.

They wasted no time in setting a quick pace, as they both had a desperate need for each other. His hands were on her hips, guiding her movements along his length. She had removed her hands from his chest, and instead was playing with her breasts, pinching and rubbing her nipples. She bounced up and down on him, their juices leaking to the floor.

"I . . . love . . . you." Midna said in between breaths.

He smiled warmly at her and didn't stop his movements. "I love you too, Midna." She had a wondrous smile on her face, and she leaned down and captured Link's lips with hers, her tongue invading _his_ mouth this time. They kept that position, refusing to relinquish the contact between them.

Their lovemaking sped-up even faster in that position. Her lower body slammed into Link's and his hand was on her bottom, helping to increase the speed. His other hand was placed on the back of Midna's head, tangling it with her fiery tresses, and aiding in their passionate kiss.

Link felt the pressure building once again, and his thrusts became erratic. "Midna," he groaned, a silent notice. Midna had been feeling the same for a while so she knew what he was trying to say.

"Not . . . before me." she warned. They kept going, each trying to hold themselves back, not wanting their time to end. He started thrusting upwards at the same time she would thrust down. They found a rhythm in their lovemaking, and it heightened the pleasure for both of them.

"Harder, Link, HARDER!" she ordered in his ear, which he obliged, but he didn't know how much longer he could hold out! 'Midna might be small, but she has got stamina!' he thought.

Not long after, Link felt the familiar pressure peak and his restraint failing. "Midna . . . I can't . . . hold on any longer." he told her.

"Then cum, Link! Gods yes, cum in me!" she yelled to the world.

In one last burst of adrenalin, Link grabbed her backside in both hands and hammered into her at amazing speed.

"I'm cumming, Link!" Midna yelled.

"Yeah, me too!" Link groaned.

After one particularly deep thrust, Midna screamed as she had her hardest orgasm. Her inner walls clenched and milked Link's member for all he was worth, causing Link to reach his climax as well. Midna arched her back in pleasure, and reveled in the feeling of his seed pouring into her. When their orgasms subsided, she slumped forward and laid her head on Link's chest while his arms draped over her back.

They laid in comfortable silence by the fire, regaining their strength. After a while, Midna raised herself on her arms and gazed into Link's eyes.

"That was . . . fun." she smirked, revealing a fang.

Link gave a short laugh. "Yeah, it was . . . but, it was much more than that." His face grew serious. Midna comforted his by placing her palm on his cheek, and giving a long, chaste kiss. She finally pulled away, but she kept their faces close enough that Link could feel her warm breath on his lips.

"I know what this means. But . . . do you? I mean, I'm a Twili, and you're a light dweller. Our worlds aren't supposed to mix. Then there's me. I'm stuck in this . . . _form_ . . . and considering all that's happened . . . I don't see how you can do _this_. So I'll ask you: is this what you really want?"

He nodded and smiled. "You're the only person who has stayed by my side through all of this, and made me feel that what I've been doing was worth anything. Regardless of any faults you _think_ you have, I do love you, and I don't blame you for any of what's happened to Hyrule, or to myself.

Tears started to well in her eyes from an odd mixture of guilt, happiness, and her own internal struggle. She buried her face in his shoulder and tightly hugged him. Her small frame shook with silent cries, and she whispered into his ear repeatedly, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for what I've done to you."

When she had calmed down enough, Link lifted her head to look at him and wiped away the rest of her tears. "Now then . . . I think we both need some rest after all this . . . excitement . . . so we should probably get to sleep, seeing as we'll be leaving in the morning, alright?" he smiled.

She sniffled once before giving him another trademark smirk, her usual spunk returned. "Fine, but don't think I'm letting you out of my sight so you can go do another stupid, masochistic stunt. I'm sleeping _with_ you so deal."

He grinned and picked her up in his arms. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

He carried her to his sofa, and laid them both down. He threw the quilt over them, and she cuddled closer to him. They fell into a deep sleep not long after, the fire still blazing in the hearth.  
_

yeah/0o0/ This chapter took _**a lot**_ of editing to get it resemble what I wanted. Though it's finally done and I hope it's good.

Thanks to everyone for waiting for this next chapter. My summer was hectic to say the least and am only now able to upload once again. Needless to say I should be able to get a lot more out there than recently, now that all my issues have been cleared up. Thanks as always for reading and please review!


	4. In the Shadows of Time

**Shunned Hero**

A Link X Midna fanfiction

"speaking"

'thinking'

First of all, I would like to say I'm extremely sorry for the long update. I could give an excuse, but it would basically be bs and the real truth is that I'm just lazy. I want to update faster, but I can never seem to motivate myself for long. So let's see how long I can keep this up! Without further adue, here's the next chapter everyone's been wondering about.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Zelda except this story.  
_

Chapter Four: In the Shadows of Time

Things had been looking up for Link and Midna. They had obtained the third mirror shard from the temple of time, meaning there was only one more left. Their injuries had recovered completely since then, and Link had been able to resupply in the temple.

Even deeper than that, Midna noticed the pain Link kept hidden behind his usual smile was gone, and he seemed much more relaxed and at peace than before. Link noticed a change had come over Midna as well. She was much more energetic and what he could almost call "giddy." He could tell the doubts she had were lifted, and he was made content by seeing her so optimistic and knowing he was the cause. He also discovered that she was not above glomping him and stealing a kiss or two when he least expected it, not that he complained.

They were camping for the night in the serene forests of the sacred grove. Link had begun to rely on Telma and her sources to point them in the right direction to the mirror shards so he was simply waiting for her to contact him, and there was something about that place that calmed him; it almost seemed to call to him.

He sat around a blazing fire, with Midna sitting in his lap, staring into the flickering light. His chin lay lightly on the top of her head. She hadn't worn her fused shadow headdress for a while, mostly for moments like this. She sighed contently, and he couldn't help but smile warmly at the sound.

"Comfortable, Midna?" he teased.

"Mhm." She hummed. She shut her weary eyes, and let the heat of the fire and the warmth from Link's arms to lull her asleep.

It wasn't long before Link's own eyes began to drop, when he felt a tug. Not a physical tug, but more like a tug at the back of his mind. It was only a slight annoyance at first, so he tried to ignore it, but when he did, it became an almost irresistible pull. He tried to fight it, but eventually he gave in and let his body answer to this urge. He watched as his own body lay Midna down close to the fire, stand, and walk into some part of the grove on its own. He felt like he was an observer to a puppet show.

It was too dark to tell where he was going, but he had a feeling it was somewhere he knew, someplace important. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the pedestal where he pulled the Master Sword from. He watched as his body pulled the Master Sword from its sheath and inserted it into the stone. A familiar stone door opened on a ledge some distance away, just like before when he came here the second time for the mirror shard.

Suddenly, he regained control of his body, and he made his way to the doors, and a blurry image appeared in the doorway like water. What he could discern confused him, because it was an image of a dim place, with black buildings shooting into the sky and dominating the scenery.

The Master Sword appeared in front of him somehow, and Link heard on oddly familiar voice in his head. "Know thine enemy, and steel thine will." Was all it said. The sword moved away, and Link knew he had to go into the door. He raised a hand to the picture, and he wasn't surprised to see it go through. Steeling his confidence, he walked the rest of the way into the doorway. The image shimmered when he entered, and then disappeared. The Master Sword buried its blade in the ground before the door, awaiting its wielder.

Link appeared on a rocky hill overlooking what looked like a town square of sorts. He looked around him and was surprised by what he saw. He didn't know where _exactly,_ but he knew he was definitely in the Twilight Realm. He saw the black buildings again, but they were much taller close up, and there were more of them. Some were built on islands floating in air, and others seemed to rise from the ground itself. There was a lot of open space to fall, and there was endless twilight as far as the eye could see. In the bustling town square, there were many stands and stalls selling sundry goods, and people milling around. The people themselves caught his attention though, because they looked similar to Midna with similar markings on their bodies, amber eyes, and dark, pale complexions.

'So this what other denizens of the Twilight Realm look like. Other than Midna, I've only seen the shadow beasts; mutated Twili.' He thought to himself.

The town square was positioned between three large buildings in a cross formation with the square in the center. The building directly across from Link looked much grander than the other two, almost like a palace.

He moved down the hill towards the square, and the closer he got, the more he realized something important was occurring. By the time he made it down there, a huge crowd had assembled before the palace, and all eyes were on a raised platform in front of the square. Since no one had to noticed him, Link quickly donned a long, black hooded cloak from a nearby vender. Nobody would know he was from the Light Realm, and he thought it best to keep it that way.

On the platform was a small group of Twili, sitting in chairs in a line. These Twili were obviously different than the commoners assembled around them; that much Link could tell from their grander clothing and their seemingly dignified stature. They were obviously of some importance, but no one even cast them a second glance. Whatever was happening clearly had caught the public's attention, and the air was thick with anticipation of something or someone.

A tall, skinny Twili with a tired face stood up to a podium in the center of the platform. When he did, any commotion in the crowd ceased and it was silent. With all the tension, even Link couldn't wait to see what was next.

The tired-faced Twili took a deep breath. "After much deliberation, it has finally been decided." He turned to someone behind him and signaled them forth. He made way for this person as they stepped to the podium. Link's eyes widened and jaw dropped.

It was a woman, and the very definition of one. Tall, elegant, graceful, proud, beautiful… she was mesmerizing. Long flaming orange hair, pale skin with exotic glowing markings, amber eyes with piercing ruby irises, long and slender arms and legs, attached to a curvaceous figure shrouded in a flowing amethyst dress. He knew who it was moments before her name was said.

"Midna?" he whispered wistfully under his breath. In appearance, she was almost completely different, but there was no mistake. Midna was Midna, no matter what form she was in. She couldn't hide herself from him with her mannerisms that made her _her_. Like how she would stare off into the distance when she was thinking or how she would clench her fists when she was nervous, as she was doing then. Still though, he couldn't help but thinking she had difference in her posture: confidence. She had _true_ confidence in herself, and not just the act she would put on to try and fool him otherwise.

"All hail your twilight princess Midna!" The tired-faced Twili proclaimed loudly for all present to hear. They raised their arms to the sky and a low moaning came from every Twili, increasing its volume till even the hills seemed to be uttering the sound.

Finally, their moans faded and the crowd began to grow silent once again, waiting for their new ruler to address them. She closed her eyes and remained silent for a drawn out moment, slowly exhaled, and inhaled again, and opened her eyes to look upon her subjects.

"People of the Twilight… subjects, citizens, friends! I am here just as another one of you, and can lead only _because_ I'm one of you and because I have your support. For decades, centuries, we have remained here, in this Twilight Realm because of what our ancestors had done, but look at what _we _have done! Look at what we've been able to accomplish!" She raised her arms as if to encompass all her environment. "In this dim world, we have created a peaceful and civilized society, advanced without losing our cultural roots." Small cheers started emitting from sections of the crowd.

"We have prospered!" She continued without taking a breath. "And will continue to prosper, for as long as we have peace, and I will not betray the trust you all have given me by disrupting that peace." Her eyes seemed to glance at one of the sitting Twili behind her for a moment. Link wondered who she was looking at, but he didn't have enough time to figure it out.

"I vow to uphold our honor, customs, and the memory of past Twili Kings and Queens! I vow to continue our prosperity! I vow to maintain peace and order in this forgotten land! I vow all this… as the Twilight Princess!" By the time she finished, the crowd was in an uproar even louder than before, cheering and applauding in droves. Link had to resist cheering himself so as not to draw attention, though he did smile and nod.

Her gaze traveled across her applauding citizens when a figure in covering his face with a black hooded cloak in the back caught her eye. She stared quizzically at the figure, and for someone reason was dying to know who it was for she did not recognize him, and strangers were nonexistent. When Link noticed her staring at him, his breath hitched in his throat and he tried unsuccessfully to hide behind a stall.

Midna laughed to herself. 'Whoever he is, he's amusing to watch at least.' She thought.

A sort of celebration struck out immediately following her speech. Everyone ran here and there, while the kids played and laughed. Link walked through the crowds, curious and amazed.

"This is nothing like how I imagined the Twilight Realm would be. Am I really… in the past?" He saw Midna walking through the festivities as well, and he deigned to follow her silently. In doing so, he found this Midna wasn't so different from the one he knew. 'It wouldn't be like her to miss out on some fun.' He smiled at the thought.

He watched her joining in the celebrations, laughing and playing with the children, playing the games, eating the festive food (which Link was drooling over the smell), and most of all… she was happy. He couldn't believe all this would change so suddenly.

He followed her wherever she went, until he was suddenly pulled into the gap between two large tents and hoisted up off the ground by a strong grip on his collar. All this motion had thrown off his hood, leaving his features exposed. A large, muscular Twili, who Link recognized as one of Midna's bodyguards, was the one doing the jostling.

"I've seen you stalking around in the shadows all day. Why are you following the Princess! He asked gruffly before he got a better look at Link's countenance.

"Wait… are you… a light dweller?" he asked in disbelief.

"Sorry about this." Link planted his knee in the man's groin, forcing the Twili to keel over and allowing Link to escape. It took a few moments for the bodyguard to recover, but then he hurried to find Midna.

Midna had been helping a child with a bruise on his leg when the bodyguard ran up to her and whispered in her ear: "Your highness, we must go back to the palace immediately." His eyes flickered back and forth for any sign of Link. "I fear you may be endangered from an unknown assailant."

She sighed to herself. 'Time to go back to work, I suppose.' Was her thought while standing reluctantly and following her bodyguard.

Link watched them go up an inclined path, leading to the palace, and then through the gate, which closed upon their entrance.

'Damn… I need to get in the castle! Who knows what's going to happen behind those walls at any time.'

He was fully prepared to start scaling the walls if he had to when an elderly Twili pulling a cart came strolling up the path toward the palace. He snuck around and hid himself in the man's cart, using his cloak to conceal himself.

A few words were exchanged between the man and the guard at the gate. Apparently, the man was delivering gifts to their new princess. Link did see some fine pottery and art in the back, and was surprised to see craftsmanship of such beauty and uniqueness. He realized there was very little he knew true about the Twili.

Once inside the palace, he silently slipped out of the cart and found himself in a large room with a ceiling so high he couldn't even see it. The palace interior itself was very similar to what he'd seen of the Twili so far; it was dark but had the unique glowing markings the Twili had on their bodies everywhere on the walls.

He maneuvered around the palace undetected, checking every room for any sign of Midna, which was why he was standing in front of two large doors with his ear to the door, listening to aggravated voices on the other side. It was definitely an argument of some sort, but he couldn't make out the words clearly or who was speaking them. He heard, "unacceptable… King… Twilight," among other fragments. He quietly snuck into the room, unnoticed thanks to the argument that was occurring.

The room was a relatively large and empty room, dominated by a row of pillars on the sides of the room. A long carpet stretched down away, till it stopped at a throne of sorts. On the throne was Midna herself, and before the throne was a Twili Link found oddly familiar. Link quickly hid behind one of the pillars to observe.

"Why wasn't I chosen to be King! I deserve to rule over the Twilight Realm! So why am I not on that throne? Answer me!" The unknown Twili yelled, his voice full of malice and bitterness.

"Don't be foolish, Zant!" Link's eyes widened. "The people can see your ambition and lust for power. What the people _need_ is someone who can keep the peace. You would destroy it." She calmly answered.

"And why is that so bad!" Zant argued loudly. "We have become complacent, content with this miserable existence, while the light dwellers live it up. We should fight to change this!"

"Enough!" Midna interrupted with a scowl. "Have you forgotten it was that attitude that our people were forced into this realm? Now go… I will hear no more of this." She stared him down till he begrudgingly turned and stormed off in a huff.

Link watched him go until Midna's voice snapped his attention back to her. "You there," she stared at the pillar he was hiding behind. He gulped, knowing he'd been caught. "What are you doing?" she asked.

He made a quick escape to the exit, tripping on his way out. Midna smiled in amusement. "What a strange man." She said to no one in particular.

Link rested against the door on the other side, attempting to slow down his breathing rate. 'Well at least she's safe for now.' He looked to the left and spotted Zant down the hall, complaining loudly to himself.

"Know thy enemy." The voice resonated in Link's head. 'I should probably keep an eye on him.' He followed Zant to a balcony of sorts in the palace, overlooking the vast emptiness that was the Twilight Realm, Zant kicked and hollered, pacing back and forth, grumbled some more, then finally fell to his knees cradling his head in his arms.

'Like a spoiled child.' Link couldn't help notice.

Suddenly, a rift appeared in space in front of Zant, and out came an evil power. That was the only way Link could describe it: not actually physical but more of a _presence_.

'Ganondorf….' Link instinctively knew. Zant looked up, and a mixture of surprise and fear upon his face.

"W-who are you? What do you want?" Zant asked nervously.

"I will give you power… and in return, you will become my servant." An evil voice said. Almost immediately after he said it, a dark aura engulfed Zant. A visage of pure joy appeared on Zant's face.

"Now go…." Ganondorf commanded.

"Yes… master." Zant left the balcony with a creepy smile. Link was about to follow him when Ganondorf suddenly spoke again.

"Wait, Hylian…." Link stopped cold, surprised Ganondorf knew he was there.

Link walked to where Zant stood a few moments ago. The power, presence, started to take a form. Soon, a nut-browned skinned man with crimson hair and cruel eyes stood before Link.

Ganondorf's eyes bore into Link. "Who are you? You are neither from this realm nor this time."

"Well I know _you_… Ganondorf."

"Hmm? Interesting… so you know who I am, do you? And I now sense you a piece of the Triforce, along with the garbs of the hero of legend." Ganondorf scrutinized.

"And what if I do?" Link challenged.

"I see… I'm starting to understand who you are. Let me guess… you're the only one the Gods could muster to interfere with my plans in the future, right?"

Instead of answering his challenge, Link simply said: "I _will_ stop you."

"Ha! You think a brat such as yourself can ever defeat the King of Evil! Not in a million years." Link glared. "Now… don't you have better things to worry about right now?" Just as he said it, a scream came from inside the palace. Link glanced back at Ganondorf once before hurrying back to the palace.

"I'm certain we'll meet again, Hero." His voice faded into the distance.

Apparently, Zant worked fast, because when Link returned, the halls were already a fiery hell, and people ran in disarray and chaos. Link didn't waste time following Zant through the ruined palace, and instead ran in the direction of the throne room to protect Midna.

He covered the distance quickly enough, and he shoved open the large doors and shouted Midna's name. He scanned the room frantically, but it was evident she wasn't there. Just then, a large explosion followed by a feminine scream shook the palace. Debris fell from the ceiling, and Link had to dodge a pillar falling on his head.

"That scream… came from the roof!" He dashed out of the throne room.

While he was running through the desecrated halls, he saw a group of Twili huddled together. It looked to be an old woman and children. Link ran up to them, and was about to tell them to escape, when he heard an all-to-familiar piercing howl. He turned quickly, and saw a shadow beast charging him. It lunged, and Link threw up his arms in defense. Suddenly, an emblem of the Triforce glowed on Link's hand, and a ray of light flashed through the hall, obliterating the monster.

'What… was that?' he wondered, but quickly pushed it aside when he remembered the Twili. He turned slowly and asked: "How do I get to the roof?"

The old woman pointed a long, bony finger at a hallway beside Link, clearly shocked by what had transpired. He nodded his thanks and dashed away. However, on his way to the hall, he passed by a large arch with its doors blown off the hinges. What caught Link's attention, however, was the fact there were many spells and strange hieroglyphics carved into it. The arch led to a large, circular room with a raised altar in the center. When Link focused on the alter itself, his widened in recognition of what lay on floating above it. It was a fused shadow!

Link tried to enter the room, but his path was blocked by a barrier. Instinctively, Link placed his right hand on the barrier, the Triforce glowed and the barrier dissipated. He stepped inside the chamber quickly, and made his way to the altar. Checking to make sure there were no traps, he slowly reached for the fused shadow. As soon as he touched it, a feeling of power and darkness leached into him. He crumbled to the ground for a few moments before the power faded and he was able to repress it. He slowly stood, covered in a cold sweat, and placed the fused shadow into his pack. He left the chamber as quickly as he came.

When he returned to the hallway, it wasn't long before he came upon a tall flight of stairs, and he raced up it taking two steps at a time. He came upon a door, but refrained from bolting out. He peered through a crack in the door instead. Zant was standing over a few bodies, and Midna was backing to the edge.

"How dare you betray us, Zant? Where did you get this power? Power far beyond your clan!" Midna shouted indignantly.

"Ahh, my dear princess, I have gained power far beyond _any_ of our clans in history, and I have the power to control the Twilight Realm as I rightfully should. I will wage war with the Light, and we will leave this accursed prison!" Zant had a cold, calm demeanor unlike before. It gave Link chills down his spine. "All for my master."

"You are a fool! The people do not need a war! You will accomplish nothing." She spat.

"Who says the people have a choice?" Zant retorted. He advanced closer, forcing Midna back further. "Tsk, tsk, Midna… so full of attitude and spunk. I think a new form might… humble you." Zant raised his hand, and a glowing ball of dark magic materialized, and he unleashed it upon Midna. She tried to run, but there was nowhere to escape. It struck her back, and she collapsed, writhing as her body began to shrink and change. She became shrouded in an ethereal glow, which shined eerily only for a moment before dimming. Where Midna once stood, was an imp in a heap of robes struggling to stand. Link's eyes widened, but he restrained himself from aiding.

'I'm foreign in this time. I… shouldn't interfere. This has already happened, hasn't it?' he reasoned bitterly.

"Now that's better. That form suits you more than the last ehehehe." Zant cackled.

Midna glared up at him. "You… bastard… you'll pay… for this." She sputtered out.

"Hmm, still got some fight left, eh? Well we'll change that." He raised his hand again, only this time Link could stand by no longer, and he burst from behind the door in a desperate charge. His sudden appearance distracted Zant long enough for Link to knock him off balance, scoop up Midna into his arms, and jump off the palace. Zant was much too confused and disoriented to give chase, and by the time he regained his composure, they had already gone.

They were flying through the air, the wind rushing wildly around them, the ground approaching fast. Link aimed his clawshot at the palace wall and launched it. It's claws dug into the stone, and they were catapulted toward the wall. Link the unyielding stone hard, and he almost lost his grip. When he recovered, he looked down at Midna in his arms, and to his surprise she was unconscious.

He smiled warmly. 'The shock of free falling must have knocked her out. Oh well, it's probably for the best she won't remember this rescue. Too bad, would've made a fun topic.'

It took a while to climb down the wall, but eventually he touched down safely. Suddenly, he felt that familiar tug within from before, and somehow knew he didn't have much time left. He laid Midna gently on the ground, stood, and watched her sleep for a moment. On a whim, he took out the fused shadow and laid it on the ground next to her. He had to remind himself she would be fine. Then, in a flash he was gone.

Midna woke disoriented. She still didn't have much strength so she could only crawl. She looked around at her surroundings. She definitely was outside the palace. 'But how did I get her? I remember… a blur… green….' She groaned and shook her head to clear her thoughts. 'The only thing that matters now is Zant! I will have revenge.'

She looked down next to her when her foot nudged something. She saw the fused shadow and held it in her tiny hands. A feral grin spread across her countenance, and her ruby eyes glowed.

Link appeared in a white, seemingly endless room, and the floor reflected Link's image like it was water. He felt a weight on his back, and was surprised to see the Master Sword in its sheath. He looked around but saw no one; that is until a figure started to materialize in front of him as a blinding light. Link shielded his eyes from the shining figure, then hesitantly looked in front of him. What he saw shocked him to say the least. Standing in front of him was a Hylian, that he was sure of, that looked almost like him. He was of the same age and build, with dirty blond hair and cerulean eyes. However, he was also wearing an olive green tunic and hat, and strapped to his back was undoubtedly the Master Sword!

"Who… who are you?" Link asked.

"I was known as the Hero of Time when I was alive, and like you I was blessed with divine power and quested to save Hyrule." Link glanced at his right hand where the piece of the Triforce rested.

"Why have you appeared before me?" Link asked, though not rudely.

"Ah… well that is simple: to help you with your quest. My spirit has come to reside in the Master Sword in order to assist future heroes keep Hyrule safe from evil. I have brought you to this special chamber with that task in mind, and I believe I have found the most efficient means to do so."

Now Link was curious. "How so?"

"You felt it when you touched the fused shadow piece didn't you? The power, the evil… the temptation? It is what creates men such as Ganondorf in this world. All bearers of the Triforce must confront this battle at one point. If you overcome it… then you will be that much more prepared both physically and mentally for the trials of your quest. If you fail and succumb to the allure of power… then you will be consumed by it and inevitably will be another obstacle for those who stand where you are now."

Link was beginning to grow concerned, but at the same time he felt the adrenaline start to flow. "What exactly must I do?"

The Hero of Time smiled. "The question is… are you incorruptible?" Suddenly, his eyes began to glow red and his complexion darkened. His form morphed to mirror Link's, and his skin became completely dark, as if he were a shadow. He unsheathed his sword in a flash, giving Link just enough time to pull out his own and counter. Strength matched strength for a moment before they both jumped away and stared each other down.

"What _are_ you?" Link inquired. The shadow sneered back at him. "I am the evil that resides in every hero's heart. I am the voice at the back of your mind you know is there but try your hardest to ignore. I am your cruelty, your anger, your passion, your ambition, your darkness. I am my own being at the same time my destiny is intertwined beyond recognition with yours. Every incarnation of you, there is another incarnation of me. I am _your_ shadow. I am Shadow Link."

Shadow Link leaped at Link sword raised high, and brought it down with crushing force. Link leapt back, narrowly escaping being cleaved in two as he felt the wind of the sword graze his nose. Where Link previously stood was a crater, but Shadow Link, unfazed, leapt at Link almost immediately, making large swipes through the air in a furious frenzy of attacks. Link was forced back farther, but suddenly stopped and instead stepped forward, parrying his enemy's sword in one motion and catching Shadow Link off balance. He slashed his open enemy, but instead only cut air as Shadow Link disappeared.

Link readied his sword and kept his vision 360 degrees around him. However, Shadow Link reappeared from the ground only a few feet from Link and thrust at him. Link caught the tip of the sword with his shield and used it to redirect the weapon and thrust with his sword as well. Immediately after his thrust was parried, Shadow Link twirled around and swung the back of his hand at Link's face. Link tried to jump back quickly, but his jaw was clicked, and the force of the blow left him dazed and disoriented for a moment.

Link recovered quickly, and was just in time to block Shadow Link's sword aiming at his torso. He retaliated with a strike of his own, but was just as easily blocked by Shadow Link. They traded blows for a time before Link dunked a horizontal swipe at his midsection, dropped to the ground and quickly planted his heel into Shadow Link's ribs, sending him up into the air a ways. Shadow Link flipped in midair and landed nimbly on his feet. He scowled at his other.

"This is getting us nowhere. Time to stop playing around, no?" Shadow Link challenged. A dark aura pervaded the area around Shadow Link, and the air became dense with power. Shadow Link held out his left hand, and a shadow replica of the Master Sword materialized in his grasp. Link's surprise registered on his face, but he readied himself for Shadow Link's strike, which wasn't long in coming.

Shadow Link charged him, and Link could barely defend himself against Shadow Link's blurs of attacks. He held his ground, but could only put up his shield with no chance of a counterattack. It wasn't long before his shield became dented beyond repair so Link jumped back and threw the shield at Shadow Link's face. He easily batted the shield away, but before he could continue his offensive, Link charged him recklessly.

Link swung his sword two handed, increasing his power two-fold, and forcing Shadow Link on the defensive. Link knocked the first sword out of Shadow Link's hand, then the next, then punched him in the stomach. While Shadow Link was stunned, he grasped his shoulders and flipped over Shadow Link, throwing him spiraling into the air. Link jumped into the air after him in an attempt to finish him. However, before he could, he was blown back by Shadow Link's aura, which warped to form numerous swords encircling Shadow Link. Link landed roughly, but regained his balance in time to dodge the thrown swords meant to pierce his body.

Shadow Link landed hard on his back, but was able to recover before Link take advantage of the opportunity. "Not bad, Hero, but it'll take more than that to beat me." He materialized two more swords into his hands, and resumed his assault. Link fended him off as best he could, but he was tiring, and the battle was starting to wear on his strength. Cuts and gashes began appearing on his body, and his defense was wavering.

Suddenly, Shadow Link battered Link's sword out of his grasp, and cut a shallow but long slash down Link's torso. Link cried out in agony, and he was forced to kneel, clutching his wound.

"Is that it? Is this all you have to offer? You are weak, and unlike your predecessors you have lost to your darkness. I will kill you before you can truly fall, and save future heroes the trouble of doing so themselves." He mocked while brandishing his sword at Link's throat. Link raised his head up to stare into Shadow Link's crimson eyes.

"I… will not… be defeated." Was all he said before a pulse of light hit Shadow Link, and sent him reeling backwards. Link slowly stood strong, and his eyes glowed golden. He held out his arms, and in his hands appeared two golden blades, two divine Master Swords. He hunched over, blades crossed, and from his back emerged two large golden wings.

Shadow Link looked upon Link's new form and grinned. "Aha! Now _this_ truly is a battle between Light and Evil. Let's have some fun!" Shadow Link threw his arms open wide, and two black, demonic wings grew from his back as well.

They both flew soaring upwards, parallel to each other, and at the same moment cut a 90 degrees angle to charge directly towards one another. They met in a frenzy of blades and feathers, as they both struck with blinding speed. Flashes of light were all that could be discerned from the battle, as they moved faster than the speed of sound. Every clash between the two titans created a sonic wave that shook the earth, and created craters anytime the fight got close to the ground.

At one point in the battle, they grappled each other, each holding the other's sword hands, and they twisted and struggled through the air. Link kicked away from Shadow Link, and then threw his swords through the air like boomerangs, which Shadow Link parried, but while he was distracted Link soared through the air and tackled him. They flew towards the ground like a comet, gaining speed and heat as they went. When they finally crashed into the ground, the impact left a crater a mile wide, and Shadow Link was left stunned. Link called his swords back to his hands, and pierced Shadow Link's arms, pinning him to the ground. Link grasped Shadow Link's forehead in his right palm.

"I purify you, and rid myself of your existence!" Link roared in a booming voice. Shadow Link yelled in frustration and resistance before steam starting rising from his forehead. He felt pain beyond anything imaginable, but it was not mere physical pain. Spiritually, Link was attempting to cleanse Shadow Link's soul. After a fierce battle of wills, Shadow Link dissipated, and Link was left kneeling in an enormous crater.

His wings receded, and his swords reverted back into a singular Master Sword. He walked out of the crater, but just as he did, Shadow Link reappeared in front of him, sword sheathed.

"Nice try, Hero, but you cannot cleanse my soul because you cannot cleanse yourself of your darkness. As I said… our destinies our intertwined and as such nor you nor your descendants shall ever be rid of me. However, you have victory over your darkness, your shadow. Now, you might actually achieve success in your quest. Compared to me, Zant should be easy."

Link smiled, and understood now the true reason behind Shadow Link's existence. 'Having a shadow is inevitable, and I think I can live with that.' He thought. "Thank you, my other self."

Shadow Link glared in mock anger. "Damn it! You're not supposed to thank me. You have got to be _the_ most sentimental hero so far. Although I suppose I don't mind getting a front row seat to 'naughty' time with your chick." Link blushed crimson to his comment though he attempted a weak glare. "Now go. Finish your quest."

Link nodded, and suddenly Link's vision blurred and he disappeared again. When he reappeared, he was standing in front of the door in the sacred grove. He checked to make sure everything was as he left, and even noticed his injuries were healed. "I'm back." He said to himself.

The Master Sword appeared once again in front of him. Again, he heard a voice in his head: "Know thine enemy, and steel thine will."

Link nodded. "Yes, I can defeat Zant and Ganondorf, and will not be tempted like Zant."

The sword remained silent as if there was no more to be said. Link grasped the hilt of the Master Sword, and the divine power rushed through his being. He sheathed his sword and made his way back to camp.

When he returned, Midna was still asleep and the fire was still blazing strong. Even though he felt both physically and mentally exhausted, he couldn't sleep, and instead sat contemplating by the fire.

Midna stirred, and she rubbed the grogginess from her eyes when she saw Link still awake. "Somethin' wrong?" She slurred.

He shook his head, but continued to stare at the fire. She floated up to him, and leaned in close. "I had a dream just now." She snuggled into his lap while looking up at him. He looked down at her curiously. "What about?" He asked.

"It reminded me of something important. I don't know how it was possible but… I remember you now, my savior." She leaned up and kissed him. At first he was surprised, but then he smiled. 'She… remembers?' He inwardly laughed. 'A fun topic indeed.'  
_

OK first I have to clear something up since I've gotten a few similar reviews from this chapter. The fight between Link and Shadow Link was more of a battle of wills, or more specifically minds. The fight itself occured on more of a spiritual plane, where almost anything can happen according to one's will if strong enough. Basically the fight was not an external conflict, but inside Link's mind. So in the REAL world Link can't just go and pull out wings like in this fight. Hope that makes it seem less ridiculous, and thanks for the reviews so far.

And there you have it. Shadow Link has always been one of my favorite Zelda characters so I just had to have a chapter with him in it. I tried to make their battle the most epic so far, but I don't know if I accomplished it. Is wings too corny? I just thought, "hey, Link flying= awesome," but let me know please. Reviews and attetion from you readers are what motivate me so please, PLEASE, review Xp


End file.
